Book Review: The Israel Lobby
This is the first, of hopefully many, book reviews that will be posted here at the Political Cartel. Our intention in writing these reviews is that it can foster intelligent discussion and debate over books read by the Political Cartel authors. Take notice of the “Book Reviews” tab near the top of the page, just below the image header. This will be where we archive our reviews, after posting them, for public review. We encourage all of you who frequent the Political Cartel to comment, critique, and evaluate our reviews.
Without further ado, I present to you the first official book review of the Political Cartel: The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt (Farrah, Strauss, and Giroux: August 2007).
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, a book by John Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, is an extremely
provocative and informative read. The two authors provide substantial evidence and analysis to back up their claim that the unwavering and unconditional support the U.S. provides to Israel is both counterintuitive and counterproductive for both nations.
In the first part of the book the two authors make a solid case as to why the favorite-nation status the U.S. has given Israel is neither justified by a moral argument or a strategic one. The unwavering support that the U.S. provides to Israel damages the prestige and international legitimacy of both countries. The authors make a compelling case that the primary enabler to this American-Israeli connection is the Israel Lobby.
The term the Israel Lobby is somewhat misleading, because the many individuals and some of the groups identified as part of the Lobby do not partake in formal lobbying activities. Rather the various parts of the lobby work to influence U.S. policy and influence decision-making, much in the same way that other interest groups do. Some of the more prominent organizations identified are groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), Christians United for Israel (CUFI), Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations are some of the more prominent groups.
The Israel Lobby is shown to have a dominating effect on the Policy Process. Their political clout is, according to the authors, powerful enough to alter the discourse of any one politician or an entire administration, regardless of whether or not it is morally acceptable or strategically sound.
In the Second part of the book Mearsheimer and Walt offer critical analysis about the U.S.’s foreign policy in the Middle East and how the Israel Lobby’s influence is inextricably linked to its the formation and implementation. A number of high-ranking government officials, congressmen, and senators linked with the politically powerful Israel Lobby combine to produce a highly Israeli-favored foreign policy.
The combined influence of the neo-conservatives in Washington, influence by groups like the AIPAC and pro-Israel interest groups are proven to have had an detrimental influence upon policy making formulations and decisions made towards internationally salient countries like Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The influence of the lobby (and its Israeli connections through organizations like the Mossad) upon the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and the hard-liner approaches taken towards the countries of Syria and Iran are extremely traceable and quite scathingly reproached by Mearsheimer and Walt.
This book makes many alarming connections between the obviously falling strategy in Iraq and the current perilous and confrontational policies towards other Middle Eastern nations. It seems at the end as if the U.S. caters to the interests of the state of Israel and the wishes of the Israeli’s most favorite mistress, the American neo-conservatives. The efforts by the current administration to make radical transformations in the Middle East have strong Israeli overtures towards a more Israeli-friendly region.
The current Palestinian situation along with the ongoing conflict in Lebanon are portrayed — and rightfully so — as situations driven by selfish and highly questionable Israeli policies of domination and subjugation, nothing short of neo-colonial domination. Quite possibly more disturbing and vexing is the American political support, or at best, ambivalence, towards this dire situation. The lack of criticism towards questionable Israeli policy comes from the insurmountable political influence that the Lobby has over Washington and the support it enjoys for pro-Israel neo-con politicians. The immense influence that these groups have over Washington makes it politically impossible to be anything other than pro-Israel, unless one wishes to be coined an anti-Semite and Israel hater.
The Israel Lobby is a good read for anyone wishing to take a critical and analytical look at the strikingly close relationship between the U.S. and Israel. This provocative study reveals the falsities of the U.S.-Israeli connection and provides in-depth analysis of the groups and individuals who have influenced American foreign policy — to the detriment of America, Israel, and the Middle East.
(Moderator’s note: this comment copied from a different post to the relevant one!)
So who is S C Denny and why would anyone think he an authority to review this universally-panned and discredited book which has become a tool of anti-Israel forces? The basic premise of this book is that it is no longer in our interests to stand by Israel because we don’t want to piss off the Arabs, who have lots of oil and pum money into Harvard and University of Chicago where these to shameless scholars hang out and corrupt the young elite studying to enter the foreign service. Could SC Denny be on the same payroll. Follow the trail of deception and money. It always leads to people with a desire to rid the world of Israel.
I wish I were being paid to give a general review of Mearsheimer’s book.
“universally-panned and discredited”
Really? Well, sir/ma’am, that just isn’t true. True that book has been at the center of debate in the field of international relations, but “universally-panned and discredited” is far from an accurate statement.
“The basic premise of this book is that it is no longer in our interests to stand by Israel because we don’t want to piss off the Arabs, who have lots of oil and pum money into Harvard and University of Chicago where these to shameless scholars hang out and corrupt the young elite studying to enter the foreign service.”
Can you say an appeal to fear and a misrepresentation of the book’s premise? I can, and you did. Your response to Mearsheimer’s book is wholly reactionary and no where in your post here have you used any sort of constructive logic or argumentation.
It’s no longer in our interest to stand by Israel, unconditionally, because it’s hurting us from a geopolitical and moral standpoint, and it serves to weaken our standing in the international arena; it’s especially damaging to our influence in the Middle East. “Just give war a chance.” “Cluster bombs over Beruit.” “Occupation of the Golan Heights.” These sound familiar?
I would bet that you haven’t even read the book. If you did, you would probably rescind on comments like “the basic premise of this book is that it is no longer in our interest to stand by Israel because we don’t want to piss off the Arabs.”
So, who am I? I am a student with an open-mind. I am not some some Arab funded disinformation tool, as you seem to imply. I invite you to follow that “trail of deception and money.” If it winds up leading back to me, will you kindly tell me where the money’s at? I sure could use some.
Actually, SC Denney is a volunteer disinformation tool. Now that the secret is out about the money, I’m sure he’ll be trying to get his hands on that. (just kidding).
But seriously, I think this commenter may have chosen the wrong name for a pseudonym. I have read good and bad reviews of Mearsheimer’s book, and I plan to read the book itself sometime in the near future. However, it is not even close to the truth to say that it is “universally-panned and discredited.” In fact, most of the negative reviews that I have found sound very much like this comment – illogical, uninformed, emotional, and reactionary. I have heard the authors labeled as anti-Semites, but rarely does a critic actually engage them on their factual assertions. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are true, but it certainly does not support the argument that they are widely discredited.
And if you’re so smart, “Smarter than I look,” why did you post your comment on the wrong blog post in the first place, huh?
I have not yet had the chance to read this book, its on my list though. A common argument from people who support Israel is “Well the Arabs can lobby too”, which is correct. Some would say that Bush’s close relation to the oil tycoons in Saudi Arabia is all the lobbying we need. The problem is that people, instead of being critical of this book, will simply label it as being anti-semitic.
It is like when you are having a debate with someone and then they bring up the Nazis and Hitler. It kills the debate. By labeling books as anti-semitic because they are critical of policy is just an attempt to end the debate.
I wonder, does the book cover the support of Israel as a remnant of Cold War policy or the standard “lone democracy” theory?
Mearsheimer and Walt describe Israel more as a result of the Cold War. They take you through the first couple of wars, and the immense influence that Israel had in the U.S. to get U.S. support for their independence and expansion movements.